3 Fragrant Plant Materials for Making Potpourri

potpourri
  • 1-4 hours
  • Beginner
  • 0-50

There is nothing like the scent of potpourri to freshen your house. There are several different varieties of plants used for potpourri. Three useful fragrant plants are Lavender, Peppermint, and Orange. These common plants can be found in your garden, at a local nursery and the grocery store.

Lavender

Lavender is one of the few flowers that is still fragrant after it dries, which is why it is often used for aromatherapy. Just touching fresh lavender plants will leave a scent on your hands for several minutes. For the best results, pick the lavender plants at the height of their growing period.

To dry the flowers, gather them into groups of six plants and bind them together. After they are bound, hang them in a warm dry room for several days. Once they are dry, you can leave them in bunches and place them in vases around your home for added decoration.

If you wish to use them in potpourri, break them into smaller parts. These parts should be able to fit into the bowl or vase used for the potpourri. If you wish to use them in a sachet, break them into even smaller parts.

Peppermint

peppermint

Peppermint is another fragrant plant that is useful in potpourri. Unlike lavender, whose blossoms are fragrant, the peppermint leaves are the most aromatic part of the plant. Dry the peppermint in the same way as lavender. Once it is dry, remove the leaves from the stem. They are now ready to add to any potpourri mixture. For a sachet, crumple the leaves before you place them in the bag.

Orange

To use orange in your potpourri, you must dry the peel. Be sure that each section is far enough away from the others so the air may circulate and dry the plant. If you wish to use the peel for decorative purposes, peel the orange so the skin remains intact and looks like a spiral.

While these plants dry, they will act as natural air fresheners. The more plants there are, the more intense the smell.

Uses for Potpourri

pot of potpourri

Each of these plants has a unique scent that can be used to complement one another. The Potpourri you make cannot only be used to refresh your home, it can also serve as decoration. For aesthetic purposes, leave the plant as whole as you can. Place the potpourri in a glass jar or bowl so that the mixture is clearly visible. Display it in a prominent place in your house.

A sachet can be placed in an enclosed area, such as a drawer or closet. It is always refreshing to open a linen drawer and smell lavender. It adds new life to old cloth.

Potpourri Storage

If you find you have dried more than you can use, these plants store indefinitely. Be sure they are kept in a cool dry room. Protect the plants from dust by encasing them in a paper bag.